Beazley’s Designs Of The Year 2017

Our Top Picks…

The Bulletproof Structure team recently visited Beazley’s Designs of the Year 2017 at the Design Museum, London. Now in its 10th year, the exhibition showcases over 60 global design projects across Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product and Transport.

Every year we look forward to seeing the most thought-provoking, groundbreaking projects to come out of the past year. The exhibition encourages you to choose your favourite and cast a public vote to choose an overall winner.

With such a broad spectrum of designs, it is difficult to single out a winner. Our designers Chris and James couldn’t agree on one winner, so here are their top two picks for the title of Design of the Year.

Chris:

An interactive life-like sculpture, Graham shows how human bodies would have to evolve to survive the impact of a minor road collision. The artist, Patricia Piccinini, along with a trauma surgeon and a road safety investigator helped to create Graham, who weighs 200 kilograms.

Graham’s brain is the same as yours and mine. His enlarged skull is filled with extra cerebrospinal fluid and ligaments to protect the brain. The neck, one of the most vulnerable body parts in a collision, has been completely removed. He has multiple nipples and sacks have been placed between each of his ribs to create airbag-like cushioning. He also has extra joints in his legs to allow him to jump out of the way quickly.

Graham’s shock factor demonstrates human vulnerability and helps to drive awareness and stimulate discussion. Nominated in the digital category, Graham is up against seven other projects, but definitely gets my vote!

James:

My design of the year was Pokemon Go without a doubt! It is a free-to-play augmented reality video game for mobile.

The game was the perfect storm of brand, technology, and innovation. I don’t think there have been many products that have married the three with the same virality and caused the same hysteria that Pokemon Go created in the summer of 2016.

It brought people together and broke down social barriers. Have you ever seen suited City bankers and local youth tracking the same Squirtle through Hyde Park? For those few months, everyone was united.

Not only was it super addictive, but it also challenged people’s perception of what a video game was. To play the game you had to leave your house and go out into the real world. It was exercise in disguise.

Although the hype has very much died, I think any product that can inspire that kind of social movement is a deserved winner.

If you’re stuck for something to do on the weekend after brunch, head over to the Design Museum and vote for your favourite design.

Beazley’s Designs of the Year 2017 is open at the Design Museum until 28th January 2018. An overall winner will be announced on 25th January.